Somewhere In Between
by Autumn Amethyst
Summary: It's the summer before 7th year and James and Lily are both on Haitin Island for the vacation- but for different reasons. After a rather incriminating encounter with Lily's parents and fiancé, James is forced to go into hiding- with Lily taking care of h
1. Embarrassment, Insults, and Sympathy

**A/N: Down with the plot bunnies!! I don't have time to be doing this…but I thought maybe if I did, these darn ideas would leave me alone…or in any case I suppose I'll find out if they're any good or not. Now, if you guys like this I'll continue, of course, but if you don't- well, then hopefully the bunnies will hop away!**

**"Somewhere In Between"       **

**By: Snoopy511 -Emily- **

**(Embly51188@aol.com)**

**Summary: It's the summer before 7th year and James and Lily are both on ****Haitin****Island**** for the vacation- but for different reasons. After a rather incriminating encounter with Lily's parents and fiancé, James is forced to go into hiding- with Lily uneasily taking care of him.**

**Disclaimer: None of this is mine…except perhaps the plot ;) **

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Chapter One- Embarrassment, Insults, and Sympathy

              James directed a sigh at his shoes. They were fairly new...well, for him, that is. But already they were showing wear and tear. _They'll just have to last me, James thought, __I haven't the money to buy a new pair, in any case. He wasn't one to complain; this just wasn't a good day so far._

He grunted, dropping the stack of sales records in the musty storage room, dust flying up and invading his eyes. Blinking furiously, he turned to see his father standing in the doorway.

"Dad? Can't we close this store and start another business?"

"No, James." The balding man sighed. "Your grandmother specifically asked me to keep the family store open. I promised her, and I won't go against that. Now I need you to take over the cash register, I'm going out for some errands."

Before he could reply, his father had disappeared. _She may have asked you to take over Dad, but she was old and out of her mind anyway. He grinned, picturing his father's face, had he replied with that._

Reluctantly, he made his way to the abandoned counter and straightened as he approached. The store was filled with all sorts of robes and accessories- but all for women. He cringed inside, thinking of when he had been little and thought these clothes were his. Thank God Sirius had told him better.

Every summer he was forced to return to this store. To Haitin Island. It was where the rich came for vacation, and where the poor worked. He obviously was among the latter. But he didn't suppose it was that bad…only a couple months a year…and there were lots of girls on the beaches in the evenings.

Suddenly, he heard female voices from the side of the store, coming closer. A dark red-haired girl was holding a large selection of the most expensive attire they carried, and her tall friend was telling her something that had caused both of them to burst out laughing.

"Erm- may I help you?" James asked in what he thought to be his professional voice. 

The fiery haired girl looked up at him with surprisingly bright emerald eyes. "Yeah. I'll take all of it." She casually dropped the pile of clothing on the counter and turned back to her friend, giggling again. 

James went through the whole pile methodically. Near the end he noticed with a sense of deep dread that she was purchasing not only new robes, but…undergarments as well. He gulped, and picked up the bra. A pale rose-colored one. Struggling to find the price tag, he was forced to run his hands over the whole thing, all but finding himself caught in it. He felt the sting of embarrassment covering his cheeks and spreading all over his face. The girls must have noticed, because they were exchanging highly amused glances. He refused to acknowledge this.

After what seemed like an extremely humiliating eternity, he found the tag and rang up the order without looking up at them. He handed the girl her purchases and muttered an embarrassed, "Have a great day." They just laughed and ambled out of the store. _I'm such a dork. I might be a ladies' man, but I'm certainly not a ladies' underclothing man. _

He sighed as the door banged open again. And then let his breath out. No, not another embarrassing situation. It was Sirius.

His best friend was grinning while he walked over. "James, you know how you're always telling me that you want a different job? Well I've found you one." He paused. "The Evans are looking for a new person to work as their waiter or something...you know, the mayor and his family. In any case, I told them you would do it."

"What?!" James exclaimed. "You didn't think to ask me first?"  
  
  


"Well, I thought it would be a surprise. Didn't think you would mind, once you saw their younger daughter Lily. Now _she's worth looking at. The red hair, green eyes…"_

James froze. _Oh no. There aren't very many red-heads on this island… "Well, let's hope she has a poor memory." Sirius gave him a strange look._

"Oh look- here comes your father! Let's go talk to those girls over there." Before James could reply, Sirius had grabbed his shirt and was pulling him out the door. He winked at two girls standing off to the side of the street and they giggled madly.  

~`~`~`~`~`~`~

          Lily sipped her sweet tea and set down her book. The wind whipped her dark red hair back from her face, causing it to stream behind her in waves. She sighed, looking out across the ocean from her balcony. 

They were having another party tonight. She had already tried whining about it, but for some reason it hadn't worked this time. At least Rick was coming. Her parents may have set up the marriage, but Lily had learned to love him. He was rather sweet. Not to mention as rich as she was; she would be able to buy twice the clothes. Laughing silently, she turned away from the water, curling her hair in one hand to keep it from obstructing her view.

She walked into her house, looking like a princess. In almost all respects, she was. Her door banged open and Petunia walked in scowling.   
  
"I suggest you brush your hair out. Dinner's almost ready and mother wants you downstairs _now." The tall, too-skinny girl slammed the door as she left. Lily sighed and did as she was told, only because she had no other choice._

She entered the large room that they reserved for parties and saw that many guests had already arrived. It was like a restaurant, with all of the tables and people and waiters running around with orders. She found her family at a table in the center. Her mother and father, Petunia, and Rick with an open seat next to him.

Smiling sweetly, Lily took her seat. She felt Rick grab her hand underneath the table and squeeze it. Her father proceeded to crack his over-used, not funny jokes, but Lily wasn't paying attention. She was too busy exchanging smiles with Rick and whispering around her water glass.

Their waiter approached- a boy with messy black hair and awfully bright aqua eyes. He looked to be her age…and very familiar. He seemed to be purposely not glancing in her direction.

"Oh, Rick." Her mother smiled from across the table. "You know my daughter is fond of you."

"Ma'am, I would have to be slow to have not already figured that one out." He smiled. Lily saw the waiter roll his eyes and grunt. Rick turned around. "What did you just say?"

"Sir?" The boy asked, unmoved. "I don't believe I said anything."

"You had better be showing us some respect." Lily's father announced.

"What respect do you deserve that I don't?" He replied thoughtfully. She could see him grinning to himself, proud to defy the people who obviously held control.

           

Rick laughed. "Well, just look at yourself. Poorly dressed, dirty. You scream the word worthless." Everyone at the table laughed. 

Lily joined in, as they publicly humiliated this boy. She laughed with them, even though something in her heart told her that it wasn't the right thing to do. 

Finally, she could see him breaking down. He raised his voice and everyone in the room heard what he said next. "If anyone is worthless, it's you rich people." He paused to catch his breath. "Without me, without people like me, you are nothing! Don't try to tell _me who's inferior!" He threw his order pad and pen down at the table, knocking over a water glass into Mr. Evan's lap. But he barely noticed this before rushing out of the room._

Lily was in a fog. This wasn't her life…it was a dream that she was observing, not included in. She listened as the people around her became considerably angrier. But for some reason, she felt bad. _God knows why. He's just a troublemaker. _

"Well, I'll send some men after him. Then we can decide how he should be punished…" She heard her father conclude.

"I don't feel so well." Lily mentioned. "I'm going to step outside." 

  
She took care to make sure that the door she left from was the same door that the boy had a few minutes earlier. A rush of warm night air brushed her face as the door clicked shut behind her. She glanced around.

And there he was, standing a few yards off staring into the full moon. His expression was angry, annoyed. She sighed and walked up in front of him. His messy hair fell into his eyes, and she felt the compulsion to reach up and brush it back, but resisted.

"Look- I don't know your name, but I feel bad for what happened in there. I can hide you until it blows over."

He sneered. "_Hide me?" He opened his mouth wider to make something else clear, but she interrupted him._

"Yes, _hide you. Don't you realize that my father is the mayor of this island? He takes insults to his status seriously, and he'll lock you up for it. I'm not joking. I've watched him put people in jail for this before." He said nothing, but stared at her. "What? You don't want the help? You want to miss your seventh year at Hogwarts then?" She placed her hands on her hips, realizing that she was being too loud. Realizing that they would be coming to look for this boy any moment now. _

"How…How did you know that I go to Hogwarts?"

Lily looked annoyed. But in truth, she had only just recognized him at all. "We're in the same House, dumb ass." He stiffened, but she ignored the gesture.

"Why should I trust you? You aren't any different from the rest of them."

  
Before she could form a reply, they heard voices approaching. Footsteps sounded on the marble and Lily watched the doorknob turn.

She grabbed the boy by his shirt and ran off down the beach, pulling him behind her. She refused to stop running until she was sure that nobody could hear or see them anymore. "It's around here somewhere…"

"What is?" he muttered, still glaring at her.

"The cave where you'll hide." She glanced around, walking off to the right a little ways. "Come here!" she yelled at him, insistently.

He grumbled to himself, but followed her inside a good-sized cave. She had obviously been inside before.   
  
"I used to play here as a little kid. It's not bad." She turned to look at him. "I'll bring you food. But don't go outside, and for God's sake, don't ever tell anyone that I'm doing this for you. I already wish I hadn't." she muttered, turning back to the entrance and staring out, listening to the waves roaring a little ways off.

This boy whose name she still had yet to find out leaned against the cave wall, watching her. "I would say thanks, but I still don't think I like you."

"You are the most ungrateful bastard I've ever met!" Lily spat furiously, stalking out.

"I was just...kidding." he said, seeing that she was already gone.

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**A/N: Too fast? I guess I could always rewrite the chapter, if that's the case…well, review if you want me to continue…otherwise say goodbye to the story! Goodnight and thanks for reading. =)**


	2. Uncharacteristic Happenings

**A/N: Hello again! Sorry it took forever- I put this on hold for a bit so that I could catch up with my other stories. But I'll be continuing now ;) I'm not sure yet how long this one will be, but we'll see I suppose. Thanks for the wonderful reviews!**

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Chapter Two- Uncharacteristic Happenings 

            Lily panted, taking quick steps. It was dark and she could barely see where she was going. For once she was thankful for coming to the island every summer; she had memorized it. _What am I doing? Often the question. __But really…this is ridiculous._

_            Hiding a boy in her special cave had not been first on her list of exciting things to do during the summer. What had possessed her to do this? _

            Slowly, she opened the back door, cringing when it creaked. She stepped inside and softly closed it behind her. Not two seconds after she entered the kitchen was she surrounded by her parents. Mobbed, actually. 

            "Where have you been?"

"Young lady, how many times do I have to tell you not to wander off without telling us? You're sixteen!"

            Petunia stood in the corner of the room snickering. Lily shot her a glare before facing her parents. 

            She let out a long sigh, allowing their comments to flow past her ears. It was the same as always.  "Mum, dad, I told you I wasn't feeling well. I only went for a walk."

            "A walk?! At this hour?"  
"You're mad, Lily. You could have been hurt!"

            Petunia muttered something that sounded an awful lot like, "but that would have been a good thing." The three of them turned to give her an odd look, and Lily added a sneer.

            "I'm sorry, I promise it won't happen again." She almost rolled her eyes, but that never went over well.

            Her mother sighed and gave a strained smile. "Okay dear. You're a mess! Go get cleaned up; tomorrow we have some guests coming over. And do get a good night's rest."

            "Night." Lily left before they could add anything else. _I may love being rich, I mean, it does have its benefits. But I hate being told to clean myself!  She grunted and threw her bedroom door open. Her parents had done nothing to help her mood.___

~`~`~`~`~`~`~

            Lily awoke and forgot where she was. It wasn't until five minutes later that she realized exactly what was going on. She jumped out of bed and threw on some clothing before sprinting down the stairs. She slowed at the foot, hearing her parents' voices floating out from the library. Eavesdropping was a favorite pastime of hers.

            "Susan, I told you. We can't find the boy anywhere. I have had the police looking all night."

            "There must be some way, dear. We haven't had trouble before."

"Don't worry. It's only an obstacle that will delay us, not turn us away. I'll have my hands on that boy before the end of this month, I guarantee it. The men I had out last night seemed to think that somebody else has interfered, but they didn't know who."

            "If that's the case, I should hope that you'll punish that person as well."

"Of course, honey."

            Lily refused to listen any longer. _Oh perfect. Now see what you've gotten yourself into. And you never did say goodbye to Rick last night either…Her brain was telling her that this wasn't a good situation, not at all. She tried to ignore it, but she was afraid._

            She ate breakfast quickly and remembered that she had promised James food. She should never have…but for some reason, it was important to her. Telling her parents she was going out but would be back in time to greet the guests, she hid a pile of food in her clothes and left without another word.

            Laughing to herself, she decided that this had to be the most absurd thing she had done since the time she had egged Mrs. Paterson's house with her friends. And that time she had gotten caught. It had definitely been worth it though; it was just too bad they never got to the shaving cream. 

            She glanced around before shuffling into the cave to find James' back to her. He had a stone in one hand and appeared to be drawing on the wall and talking to himself.

            "Yes, and another line here…what a masterpiece."

Lily watched, bewildered. She cleared her throat. "Er- I'm not sure what you're doing, but I brought you some food."

            James turned around and blushed slightly. "I was, um, just entertaining myself."

"Uh-huh." She dropped the food in front of him. 

            "Thanks."

She sighed. "I don't know how long this is going to work…I heard my parents talking and they're looking for you, and apparently they aren't ready to give up. Sorry, but I can't hide you for too long."

            "Well, I've always managed on my own. Don't think I can't now."

"I was only trying to help." She replied, irritated. "But seeing as you don't need it, I-"

            "Sorry." He mumbled.

There was a rustling at the cave entrance. Lily panicked, grabbed him, and pulled him to the side of the cave, awkwardly sandwiching herself between James and the wall. It was a dark corner, and she squinted to see somebody coming in. She stopped breathing.

            "I know you're in here, James." Another black-haired boy came into view. He spotted them and grinned. "Sorry, didn't know I was interrupting anything." 

            Lily blushed deeply and pushed James off. "You weren't."

James watched her with a strange expression, as if he didn't know what to say. "Um, what are you doing here Padfoot?"

            "I'm not stupid you know. Not like some of her kind." He stuck his finger in Lily's direction. "I saw you running along the beach over here last night. I saw the cave this morning, and you were missing, and it just suddenly clicked."

            Lily snickered. "What kind of name is Padfoot?"

The two boys appeared offended. "A nickname. I'm Sirius Black. I go to Hogwarts too, thank you very much."

            "What? You're allowed to insult me, but I can't you?"

"I never said that-"  James started to say, but Lily was already leaving in an annoyed fashion. 

            "Thank you, but I have someplace to be." She sniffed and left the cave.

"You've got yourself a difficult one there, Prongs." Sirius laughed. "I think it's time to tame the rich lion."

            "She's hardly that." James replied grimly. Yet he couldn't help but notice that he hadn't been embarrassed by being that close to her. It had felt…nice.

~`~`~`~`~`~`~

            Lily dashed into the backdoor and found her mother standing directly in front of her, staring at her. _Wow. She looks like a stalker from a horror movie. She snickered. _

            "You think it's funny?" Her mum asked sharply. "I certainly don't." She glanced at her watch. "You have five minutes. You had best be down here then, the guests are already in the lounge."

            "Okay, mum. Sorry mum." As usual, she sprinted up the steps. _I certainly am ruining my reputation. What an inconvenient time to be helping out some boy from school who isn't even worth my time. _

_            She brushed her long auburn hair out and made sure that her clothes were acceptable. One more glance in the mirror agreed with her._

            She walked into the lounge slowly this time, smiling sweetly.

"Hello." A middle-aged couple, both with blonde hair and brown eyes, stared back at her. They introduced themselves in the usual fashion, setting down their tea saucers.

            "A pleasure." Lily seated herself next to her mother, who gave her a half pleased, half warning glance.

            The half hour that followed turned out to be disastrous. This couple was so boring that Lily had no mind to concentrate. Somehow, she managed to knock over her tea, curse herself, and then look up to see that everyone was staring at her wide-eyed. It simply wasn't something you did.

            "Er, sorry." She left the room quickly. Glancing back, her mum was furiously following her.

            "I asked you to spend one afternoon with guests. Just one, but you couldn't do even that; you had to go and ruin this deal your father had going. Now they think I have a menace for a daughter!"

            Lily wasn't in the mood. _I can't take it anymore. I'm not the type, I'm just not! "I'm sorry mum. I'm clumsy and not made out to do this! You may have taught me well, but I can't change who I am. And if it isn't agreeable to you, then send me somewhere else. I never asked to be your daughter!"_

            Her mother gasped. The situation was so suddenly ludicrous to Lily that she simply left her mum standing there, gaping after her with bug-eyes.

            She burst into the kitchen heatedly, pacing and glancing around her. She felt like doing something…wrong. Something was possessing her to do a thing out of the ordinary. If only she could figure out what would suffice. Her emerald eyes rested on a bottle of wine and she smiled.

~`~`~`~`~`~`~

            _One thousand and three, one thousand and four…James stopped suddenly, hearing something outside the cave. It couldn't be Sirius, he had just left. _

            A flash of red hair tumbled in, and he let out a breath.

"Lily, I wasn't sure you'd be coming back. I wanted to apologize." He paused. He hated admitting that he was wrong. _But I'm supposed to always be right… "You're helping me out, and I should have respected that."_

            Lily didn't look directly at him, but instead her eyes traveled around the room lazily. He realized that she didn't have any food with her, and wondered vaguely why she was here. His stomach rumbled, but he ignored it.

            "Lily, did you come to tell me something, or-"

"I'm not going home tonight, James." Her words were quick and he could barely understand her. "I'm staying here, with you."

            "Um, okay…" he gave her a confused glance.

She smiled softly and dropped onto the floor beside him, turning to examine his face. He could feel her breath and wondered what in the world she was doing. Before he could say anything, she leaned in and gave him a very rough kiss, her fingers rubbing his neck and her other hand supporting her balance.

            After she pulled away, James was befuddled. And then, he realized something that had been so painfully obvious. "Lily, you're drunk!"

            She grinned at him playfully. "What do you mean? I only came for some fun…"

He grimaced as she leaned over again, and pushed her away. "I can't take advantage of you like this, please don't." _God help me, but I actually want to…_

_            Lily appeared hurt at first, but then she looked sick. _

"Oh no you don't! Not in here!" he grabbed her arm and pulled her outside the cave, praying that nobody was around to see. Just in time, too. 

            James turned away; seeing other people sick made him sick as well. Suddenly, she stopped, and fell back on him. He stumbled slightly under her weight. Looking down at her face and pushing a strand of dark red hair out of her face, he smiled. Her eyes were frightened. 

            "Don't worry. I'll take care of you. You can stay here tonight."

She nodded and tried to walk away, swaying. He laughed and helped her to the wall, leaning her against it. 

            "Just lie down. I have some water over here…" He shook his head. _Now she's the last person I would have thought…_

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**A/N: I didn't have too much time to work on this, but at least I got away from studying for a bit. Please review! You'll make my day!**

**Maxwell Salt- I'm glad you liked it =) Thanks for my first review! ****Aharrypotter1fan- I try not to write stories that are too cliché, but some of it just happens, if you know what I mean. Anyway, thank you!**** Ash- Thank you- that's good to know, seeing as how I don't have time to redo it, lol. ****Dropped rose- Well, I did write more…too bad it wasn't soon. But the next chapter won't take quite as long! ****Lilygurl88- Nope, it's supposed to be Haitin. Really, there's a Haitian island? That's cool! Wish I lived there! ****Kimali**** Lautoka- I'm glad it's different! Lol, I try. Thank you! ****Condor5- That's what I thought too…but hopefully I can even it out as I write more =) ****AnotherKoolKitty****- Why, what an unfamiliar name! Lol, okay, so I'm weird…Anyway, I finally updated! ****Prudence the Rushmore Yankee- Thanks a lot! Glad you like James...I do too ;) ****A Rose By Any Other Name- Thanks a bunch for reviewing! I hope it stays original….there are so many L/J stories that I don't know anymore. Hope you liked this chapter! ****Witchcraft- Lol, well weird is good. At least, I'm weird. Anyway, I added more and thanks! ****Evillalmanotlamma****(****frogs- Thanks for reviewing this story too! Hope you continue to read!**


	3. Dark and Dewy

**A/N: Yes- _finally!  _****I used to be really good at updating…and now, well, now is another story. Although- if you knew what I had to study for, you would understand ;) Thanks again to the reviewers, you truly made me happy, which is a laudable accomplishment during finals.**

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Chapter Three- Dark and Dewy            

James rested his head against his palm. "This was _so not in the job description." He glanced over at Lily, who was completely passed out a foot or so away. _

A few nights in a cave with no outside…anything, was enough to make any man lose his mind. James, however, was a very patient person. By this point, he had only just begun the process of speaking to himself animatedly.

Spinning a tune off his tongue, he shifted to look at the drawing he had created earlier on the wall. "I still think it's a masterpiece…"

"You really are mad, you know."

He spun around and let out a breath after realizing that it was only Sirius. His dark-haired friend laughed at the image of the mayor's daughter out cold. 

            "Well well well, Prongs. Even stuck in a cave, you have quite the effect on the ladies." Sirius approached and dropped down beside James. They turned their heads toward each other. "I would think you'd be bored, though." He paused. "I've come to brighten your night."

            "How on earth-"

"Oh Jamsie. Have you lost your sense of adventure? Don't question my ideas. Just go along."

            James rolled his eyes. "You know, last time you said that I ended up in Dumbledore's office…"

            Sirius shrugged. "Alright." He made a move towards the cave opening. "Then you just stay here, all night, staring at the wall…"

            "Wait!" James exclaimed, rising and glancing at Lily. "I want to go…but she'll kill me." He nudged the red-head lightly in the side.

            "No doubt." He grinned. "But she probably will anyway, after she learns that she spent the whole night in_ your cave, my friend."_

            "Oh, like it matters." James replied, annoyed. "Let's just go."

They tip-toed out into the night air. It was refreshing for James, but all Sirius was concentrating on was the sand seeping into his shoes. James spun around repeatedly, the wind whipping at his clothes. 

            "Stop acting like a freak and let's go have some fun."

James nodded and followed his dark-haired friend down the beach, glancing back once at the cave and reassuring himself that Lily was asleep.

~`~`~`~`~`~`~

            Lily sat up quickly, hitting her head and rubbing it painfully. "What the hell?" she glanced around, and suddenly reality came flowing back. "Bloody-"

            Her green eyes searched for James, but he wasn't there. Horrible thoughts ran through her mind, but she dismissed them all. James had more respect for her than that…she thought. "James? James!" she hissed. No answer.

            Her head was throbbing. _I am never touching alcohol again. Then she saw the darkness outside and her insides churned. "My parents are probably freaking out!" In any case, __she was freaking out. Her only thought was to find James, who was obviously not there. The blasted boy- to leave her there and go off where he could get them both into major trouble. He probably already had. _

            Ignoring the terrible feeling she had, she left the cave swiftly, running through the sand as quickly as possible without twisting her ankle under the weight of it. 

            She ran around frantically for what must have been three-quarters of an hour. It wasn't until she was near the town that she spotted two shadows headed for the narrow street that led to the part of the island she lived on. 

            "James!" she yelled as quietly as possible. The figures froze, and she sped up, colliding into James.

            "What the _hell are you doing?"_

"I- er- just a breath of fresh air, you know." James groaned. "I'll just be going now."

            Lily glared at him. "This is how you repay a favor- is it? Find the easiest way to get me in major trouble?"

            "No, I didn't mean- I don't want-"

"Never mind. This is hopeless, arguing with you. Let's just go someplace else; we're right in the open."

            James grinned, grabbed her arm, nodded to Sirius, and they left. "Can we just stay out for a little bit? I couldn't take the cave anymore- I promise, I'll do whatever you want from now on."

            Lily crossed her arms, looking annoyed. "Fine." She tried to hold down her hair, which was whipping around in the wind. "But James- this was reckless! What would you have told them, if they had found you? I don't much care about your ass, but mine-"

"More like, what _will you tell us?" A flashlight shone into their eyes, blinding them. Three policemen appeared. James looked horrified, but not nearly as much as Lily. _

            "Shit." She groaned, about ready to run for it, had she thought it would help.

The guard who had spoken laughed. "Why, Miss Evans, what are you doing with this criminal? We've been searching for you as well. Your father will be very surprised to find out where you've been all along."

            Lily hung her head, auburn hair falling into her face. 

"All right- come with us. To Mayor Evans-"

            Before she knew what was happening, Lily was seized by James and Sirius, who took off running.

            Lily grunted and tried to release herself, but they only held tighter and pulled her along. "Come on! I know a place we can go!" James yelled at her, aware of the guards trying to catch up. 

            Sirius pulled out his wand and muttered a spell. Fog suddenly covered much of the distance behind him. "That will stump the Muggle guards. A handy spell to know, in my opinion." He winked. 

            James led them into an abandoned alley, where there was a slightly crumpled staircase which he pulled down so that they could climb. It seemed hazardous to Lily, but she was shivering out of fright and didn't much care at the moment. The whole idea of what was going on was too much for her to digest. It was just a dream.

            "This was where Sirius and I lived for a little while. Not too bad here. Just hurry up- the fog won't keep them behind for long. And we probably can't stay here long, either. The whole town will be looking out for us soon."

            Lily glanced around and noticed that Sirius was gone. "Where did he-"

"Sirius? I told him to leave…no need to mix him up in this. They didn't know it was him. He's safe."

            "What's going on?" Lily leaned against the wall and slipped to the floor slowly, dusty as it was. 

            "In short, both of us are screwed like no others."

Lily groaned and felt a sudden urge to punch him. "Could you be any duller?"

            "Probably not." James grumbled. 

There was a long silence, only broken by the scurrying of a rat on the other side of the crowded room. Normally, Lily would have been sickened. At this point, she merely watched the rodent with indifference. She had a worse and much bigger one, sitting next to her.

            "Lily? I was- I was wondering…" their heads slowly turned towards one another. "You- er- kissed me. Right before getting sick…yeah…"

            Lily snorted. "Did I?" She seemed to find it amusing.

James stared at her, attempting to be serious and not appreciating her lack of earnestness. "I don't find it funny. Even if you can forget about the fact that there are guards after both of our heads, there are other pressing matters. I want to know, Lily, did you mean anything by that kiss? Because, some people become more honest when they're drunk."

            Lily stopped smirking and stared back at him. She shook her head, after awhile, and gave him a thin smile. "How the hell should I know? I passed out right after, if I remember correctly."

            "I guess." James, recovering his mischievous and rather annoying side of himself, abruptly added, "Would you like to find out now?"

            Lily rolled her eyes and gave him a light smack in the side. "You're asking for it."  
James chuckled thoughtfully. "I guess this isn't the best time to be doing this…" they heard noises of the guards close by, but both ignored them.

            He brushed a strand of her hair back, and watched as her green eyes sparkled in the light of excitement. Grinning, he leaned down and kissed her lightly, at first, then opened his eyes in disbelief when she probed for a deeper kiss. She laughed merrily as they broke apart, hearing the guards come up the stairs slowly, muttering to themselves. Lily stifled a laugh and James bit back a grin. He held out his hand and she took it, as he led them inconspicuously to a fire escape on the other side of the darkened room.

            "This is ridiculous." Lily whispered harshly, trying to recover her wits.

"It's also an abandoned fire house." James said back, right before swinging her in front of him and sliding down the pole, somewhat together. 

            "Urgh." They collapsed onto the first floor. There was silence elsewhere for a moment, and that clued them in that they had been heard. James pulled her up from the floor, among her protesting, and forcefully pushed her through the back door.

            "Come_ on!" he hissed. "Have you lost your mind? Or are you still drunk?"_

She laughed quietly. "Both."

            He gave her a look that implied his next remark," What a perfect time for _you to become the one with no head."_

            She seemed to be considering this when they heard a rustling behind them. There was no time to think; not that either of them could. James grabbed her hand and tugged it until she followed.

            The eastern edge of the island was covered in forest. Tropical, mostly. It was dewy and warm, something Lily couldn't decide whether she liked or not and James hadn't given it one piece of mind. He led them into it quickly, zigzagging and hoping that the guards could not follow their tracks in the dark.

            She stopped suddenly, and pulled him to the trunk of a large tree. They leaned against it, panting.

            "Lily," he gasped, "what are we doing?"

For the first time that night, Lily's emerald eyes looked somewhat disturbed, as if she was suddenly realizing what sort of predicament this was. "I have absolutely no remote idea."

            He grumbled something, while she began to climb the tree.

"What're you doing?" he whispered up at her. 

            She shrugged and replied, "You expect them to miss us when we're standing right there? They'll be looking all night, you know."

            He sighed and climbed up after her. The tree was a secluded one; the leaves large and if you pulled them down a bit, they would hide just about everything.

            "I'll have to thank my father for not ripping this forest down."

After a time, James grunted. "If you ever see him again."

            Lily's eyes shot over to him. "What do you mean by that?"  
"Tell me, Lily, does your father love you enough to let his reputation be destroyed: you were caught with a _criminal! He'll be after you too, unless you have some reason to believe that he would stick up for you."_

            She slumped against a branch silently and refused to respond. 

He leaned over, sitting next to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

            "No, you're right. I'm dead."

There was a solemn, thoughtful silence. Until, "We're just gonna have to get back to school without their help and without them knowing."

            Lily's eyes searched over him, making him want to look away; her stare was piercing, maybe even degrading. But he didn't. "Won't your father be worried?"

            "My dad?" he rolled his eyes. "No. He'll wonder, but I doubt that he'll care much."

"Oh." She said, and then suddenly grinned. "I guess we're in for a long road then. Where to begin, where to begin…"

            James smiled and leaned over, kissing her lightly on her lower cheek, closer to her neck than anything else. She squirmed away.

            "Ticklish, are we?"

She turned back to look at him. "Feisty, are we?"

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**A/N: Yes, you may yell at me for it taking forever. And for however this chapter came out. I've given up on trying to judge what I write, because most things that I like, other don't. Well- please leave a review!**

**Merry Christmas!!**

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Thanks to:

Evillalmanotlamma(frogs- Lol, yep, and she's in for a lot more than simply being drunk. Thanks again!

Lilygurl88- Lol, gracias. And yeah- there's a name I know- Haiti. I'm an idiot =) We learn all of this stuff in Spanish but, yeah. Heh, thanks again! Of course you aren't wasting my time!

Lil miss moony- One that I made up, but it seems that there is an island that's name is very similar. Thank you!

Golden.Slumbers- a name change, eh? I like it ;) Thanks for another review, and I'm glad you think that there's some diversity in what I write, because there have been several people who told me otherwise. Anyway, I appreciate the review!!

Ander- Thanks! And I will keep working on it, I'm just taking forever…

The Queen of Death- Thanks for reviewing!

Krazy Kitty :P- Wow- on your favs? That makes me happy! Thanks!

AnotherKoolKitty- Lol, thank god we're out of school for now, right? I'm so happy. Anyway- hope your break is going well and thanks!

Kimali Lautoka- Yeah, I happen to like their characters. But anyway, I appreciate another review from you!

CrestfallenLight- Glad you're liking it, hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

Reader- I will, of course! Thank you!

A Rose By Any Other Name- I'm happy you think so, you're a good writer yourself. Thanks and I hope you have a great Christmas!

Britz- Lol, thanks again, for all the reviews you've given me. Finally updated this…after so long. 

Owl Eyed Athena- Glad you think so ;) Thanks!


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